But in reality, after pretending to run for a bit, Adele slacked off.
If she really stood downstairs foolishly waiting for Hermione now, even Adele would fall in love with herself.
This kind of innocent and foolish girl setting… was always appealing.
But Adele loved herself more than she loved others.
Love yourself, then love others, that was the order.
Currently, in Adele’s heart, Celeste held the highest and closest position.
Because she was her subordinate, Adele didn’t even need to hide her true, bad personality in front of her. She could bully her, order her around… and love her.
Hermione should be ranked after Celeste, in second place.
After all, when she first transmigrated into this world, it was Hermione who warmed Adele’s heart upon their first meeting.
Then came Tang Linlang, this silly girl from her class, who had recently been promoted to the position of a rich second-generation heiress.
Very good, very good, Adele’s savings had increased by a large chunk~
After Tang Linlang came Sharon, who was timid and insecure, often finding it difficult to express her love for Adele directly.
This was a bit tricky. When a tsundere girl’s tsundere phase passed, the dere phase would be very comfortable.
But if an insecure girl just waited for others to discover her goodness and her feelings, the outcome would most likely be lifelong regret!
So, when you meet someone you like, just go for it bravely~
Okay, summary over~
Dorothy? Who’s Dorothy? Don’t know her~
Even a dog wouldn’t care!
Twenty minutes later, Hermione arrived at the parking lot of Adele’s residential area as fast as she could.
Even noble vampires had to obey human traffic rules.
Other, more ordinary vampires were almost no different from ordinary humans.
This also reflected the depth of integration and connection between vampires and humans.
It was said that after several generations of intermingling between vampires and humans, the mixed-blood offspring with only a thin vampire bloodline might not even experience bloodlust and could live like normal humans.
But Adele, as a second-generation mixed-blood, obviously couldn’t do that yet.
However, Adele had recently been well-fed, thanks to Celeste, so she looked radiant.
“Sorry, Adele, I made you wait.”
Hermione took the elevator up from the underground parking lot and followed the location to the building where Adele lived.
Sure enough, she saw Adele, wearing a pure white sundress, waiting for her.
The girl looked bored, obviously having waited for a long time, which made Hermione feel a little guilty.
But when Adele heard Hermione’s apology from afar, her delicate features immediately relaxed.
As if Hermione was the passion and meaning of her life.
“It’s okay, I only stood here for a little while~”
Adele said, blinking playfully at Hermione.
This small gesture showed that Adele had indeed come out of the shadow of that day.
At least she was still in the mood to joke with Hermione.
And saying that she had only stood there for “a little while” was actually a subtle way of acting coquettishly towards Hermione – I’ve been waiting for you for a long time~
Hearing this, Hermione’s heart felt a little sweet.
She wanted to pamper this cute and delicate girl even more.
However, what the Ice Queen didn’t know was – Adele really only stood there for a little while!
She had just gone downstairs when Hermione arrived, it was a seamless connection.
Actually, Adele was feeling a little lucky in her heart.
But even if Adele had been later than Hermione, she had already come up with an excuse.
She would just say, “I was putting on makeup, it took a little time.”
Upon hearing this, Hermione would definitely think, “Adele put on makeup specifically to see me, she has me in her heart!”
In short, Adele had an all-around, foolproof defense.
It was said that lies needed countless other lies to cover up, but that wasn’t true. Telling the truth required more explanations.
A small lie was actually beneficial, it could make everyone feel good.
Hermione had long legs, and she reached Adele’s side in a few strides.
Her icy aura showed signs of thawing because of Adele.
How much she wanted to touch the lovely Adele in front of her.
How much she wanted to express her longing for Adele over the past few days.
But her lips seemed to be sealed by an invisible web.
Her body just stood stiffly in front of Adele.
Like a clumsy person who didn’t know what to say or do in front of the girl they liked.
But Adele simply took Hermione’s arm and smiled, squinting her eyes.
She was like a warm little sun in spring, emitting a gentle light, warming those around her.
“Hermione, can you see anything different about me~”
“Different?”
Hermione was nervous, but Adele’s question successfully diverted her attention.
Adele tilted her face up slightly, her cheeks flushed with a strange crimson.
“Adele… put on makeup?”
Hermione seemed to have made a surprising discovery, her eyes widening slightly, her expression surprised and delighted.
“Hehe~ I wasn’t idle at home these past few days, I secretly learned a little, although it might not look very good…”
Adele wasn’t being humble, her makeup really wasn’t that good.
Plus, she was in a hurry, so the final effect was just average. It could be said that it was purely her naturally perfect features that were carrying it.
Fortunately, Adele was wearing light makeup, not heavy makeup, so it didn’t expose her flaws and clumsy makeup skills too obviously.
Plus, there was the “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” effect.
Overall, Hermione’s response was,
“It looks great!”
The Ice Queen immediately retorted.
Her breathing quickened. She was obviously aware of something.
There was an ancient Eastern saying, “A woman dresses up for the one she loves.” Did she… become Adele’s “beloved”?
Hearing Hermione’s words, Adele smiled shyly, the radiance on her face even more captivating.
“Hermione… as long as you like it~”
“Let’s not talk about this anymore, Hermione, you have to take me out to have some fun, I want to go to the amusement park!”
Adele perfectly played the role of someone who had been staying at home for a long time and was full of expectations for the outside world.
Seeing Adele become lively again made Hermione happy.
“Anything you want.”
She said softly, full of indulgence.
Adele also tightened her grip on Hermione’s arm.
They walked together towards the underground parking lot.
Adele took out her phone at this time and sent several messages to Celeste in front of Hermione.
Hermione saw this, but she didn’t stop her or show any displeasure.
Because Adele was acting very well, she had a clear conscience, she even dared to contact Celeste directly in front of her.
This could only mean one thing.
Adele and Celeste were really just ordinary friends, and nothing beyond friendship happened between them last night!
Otherwise, Adele logically shouldn’t dare to contact and interact with Celeste so openly.
Wasn’t she afraid that Hermione would ask to “see their chat history”?
If she wasn’t afraid, it could only mean that Adele had a clear conscience.
In response to Adele’s openness, Hermione also decided to give Adele enough trust.
Hermione wouldn’t do something like looking at someone else’s chat history.
But what she didn’t know was that at this moment, there was only one word that could describe Adele’s feelings.
“Control”!
The girl had successfully grasped Hermione’s psychological activity and made this risky move.
And the final result proved that she had succeeded!
Even when Adele put away her phone, Hermione didn’t doubt her, ask who she was chatting with, or what they talked about.
When they reached Hermione’s luxury car in the underground parking lot, Adele didn’t hesitate to get into the passenger seat beside Hermione.
This made Hermione’s heart sweet again.
After all, the passenger seat always belonged to a close relative or… lover of the car owner.
So, it was obvious which one Adele was.
Thinking back to the last time she rode in Hermione’s car, she was thrown into the back seat like an object. It was truly a sigh-inducing change in circumstances.
Now, Adele even dared to “peek” at Hermione’s side profile unscrupulously.
It sounded a bit ambiguous.
But Adele was indeed “peeking” unscrupulously.
Hermione had to pretend that she didn’t know, focusing on driving. Whenever her cheeks felt hot, she would silently release cold air to cool them down.
Hmm… so ice magic could be used like this?
Hermione went to great lengths to hide her true feelings.
But was it possible that if she didn’t have this awkward self-esteem, her relationship with Adele might have already progressed further?
The car drove on the wide road, Hermione was quiet, seemingly focused on driving.
Adele was talkative, wanting to share anything new and interesting she saw outside the window with Hermione.
Sometimes she would even forget herself and call Hermione to look.
Every time this happened, Hermione would be a little speechless.
She was driving, and there was no one else in the car except for her driver, how could she turn her head to look?
It would be too dangerous, Hermione wouldn’t put Adele’s safety at risk.
But despite her complaints, Hermione’s mood obviously improved because of this.
Because she knew that the first person Adele thought of when she saw something interesting was her.
This meant that Adele had her in her heart.
The girl’s desire to share was proof that she cared about Hermione.
Adele probably also realized that Hermione had to drive and realized that she had done something stupid, so she suddenly became much quieter.
But unexpectedly, it was Hermione who felt uncomfortable first.
She coughed lightly and slowed down the car.
“What were you saying just now, panda?”
“Yes! The panda by the road, it’s a statue, very cute.”
“Oh, that’s nice, I like pandas too.”
Hermione subconsciously wanted to say something domineering like “I’ll give you one someday.”
But then she realized… she couldn’t actually do that.
The loss of even one panda through official channels would be a big problem, and it would also affect the lives of the relevant staff, leading to the intervention of special agencies. In the end, Hermione wouldn’t benefit from it either.
As for wild pandas… forget about finding one, they were even rarer.
And pandas weren’t toys, they couldn’t just be given away as gifts.
Adele didn’t have the conditions to raise this precious black and white money-eating beast, it might even become a burden for her.
So Hermione simply changed the subject.
“Let’s go to the zoo together someday, to see the cute pandas.”
Firstly, it could fulfill Adele’s wish to see pandas, and secondly, it was equivalent to making an appointment for their second date.
Hermione couldn’t help but feel smug about her sudden inspiration.
“Okay~ It’s a deal!”
Adele suddenly took out her phone and started typing rapidly.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m recording it, year XX, month XX, Hermione promised to take me to the zoo to see pandas…”
Adele read out what she had recorded word by word, as if afraid that Hermione would break her promise.
Of course, Hermione wouldn’t break her promise. At the same time, she felt incredibly warm by Adele’s clumsy and cute behavior.
So it wasn’t just her who was looking forward to their next date.
Even Adele was the same…
Thanks to Hermione taking the initiative to start the conversation, Adele became lively again.
Like a cute little bird, chirping away beside Hermione.
Hermione enjoyed this atmosphere very much.
She used to think that she liked and enjoyed being alone.
But later she realized that it was just self-deception.
It was just that no one dared to approach her, and she couldn’t take the first step to communicate.
Until she met Adele, who approached and got close to her in a way that Hermione now regretted very much…
If she hadn’t gotten Adele’s forgiveness in the end, there wouldn’t be such happiness today.
She would definitely regret it for the rest of her life.
What Hermione didn’t know was that this was indeed her original ending.
It was only because Adele changed the trajectory of her fate that such a bad ending was avoided.
Adele said she was just chatting to liven up the atmosphere, but she actually had her own little schemes.
For example, she would try to talk to Hermione about school matters.
As they chatted, the topic shifted to the Black Feather Society. She wanted to get more information from Hermione.
“Edith? Why are you suddenly asking about her?”
Hermione’s grip on the steering wheel tightened.
It was worth mentioning that with the fall of Dorothy’s faction, the Black Feather Society’s influence in the school had further expanded.
Even those vampires who were originally more loyal to Princess Dorothy and secretly admired her felt a chill in their hearts when they saw the fate of Amaterasu Kuro and Tsukimi Shiro.
At this time, if Edith offered them favorable treatment to win them over, the result… would be obvious, right?
One side ruthlessly attacked her allies, while the other side was courteous and respectful.
No wonder people said that Dorothy didn’t have the bearing of a “king.”
But some people also felt that this was how the emperor of vampires should be, aloof and powerful.
“Haven’t you been on the forum, Hermione?”
“…I rarely go there.”
“Oh, no wonder. Edith has already approached me twice, and if nothing unexpected happens, she’ll approach me for the third time soon.”
“Why is she looking for you?” Hermione’s expression became unusually serious, and she frowned slightly.
She was obviously displeased with Edith’s actions.
“She wants me to join the Black Feather Society, but I don’t know what kind of place it is, so I wanted to ask for your opinion, Hermione.”
“If I join the Black Feather Society, will I be better off than I am now?”
“You know… Dorothy, she’s scary.”
As Adele spoke, she shrank her neck, looking helpless and pitiful.
Hermione’s heart tightened, she wanted to be Adele’s support, to help her escape from Dorothy’s clutches.
But the last competition proved that she was still far from being Dorothy’s opponent.
Hermione was indeed distracted by Adele’s matter at the time, and she left the arena early, unable to give her all.
But Dorothy’s trump cards were probably more numerous than Hermione’s.
Only those who had truly fought against her could feel that despairing pressure.
She wasn’t afraid to admit… even Hermione, as a Sequence One and a descendant of a True Ancestor, couldn’t help but want to “submit.”
As for why, Hermione actually knew in her heart.
Because Dorothy…
Was the descendant of the only “Black Emperor” of the vampire race.
As long as no new “emperor” appeared among the vampires, the rules created by that “Black Emperor” couldn’t be broken.
Dorothy would always stand at the top of the vampire hierarchy. Even Hermione, who was also a Sequence One, was actually only second in line.
Just thinking about these things gave Hermione a headache.
But even Hermione couldn’t do anything to Dorothy.
What could Edith’s Black Feather Society do?
On the surface, they seemed powerful, but in front of Dorothy, they were nothing more than a mob.
If Adele joined them, with her strength and status, she wouldn’t receive any substantial support.
Instead, she would be bound by the rules of the Black Feather Society, easily manipulated and exploited by them.
Therefore, Hermione gave her advice seriously.
“I think you should reject Edith’s invitation, Adele.”
“…Is that so?”
“Okay, I’ll listen to you, Hermione~”
Adele’s initial tone was clearly disappointed.
But then, she quickly adjusted her mood and even said, “I’ll listen to you, Hermione,” which moved Hermione deeply.
But just like the saying “the drunkard’s intention is not the wine,” Adele’s real purpose in talking about the Black Feather Society was just to use it as a springboard to bring up the student council.
Hermione’s understanding of the student council was definitely greater than Adele’s, who had only recently transmigrated.
If Hermione approved of the student council, then Adele could join it with peace of mind.
Besides, wasn’t it rumored that the president of the student council was the strongest student in the entire academy?
In other words, she might be even stronger than Dorothy!?
Such a thick thigh, she couldn’t miss the opportunity to hug it!
So Adele changed to an innocent tone and asked Hermione casually,
“Then Hermione, how is the student council~”
“I heard that even in the student council, which is mainly composed of human elites, there are also vampires, is that true?”
It was just an ordinary question, but Adele clearly felt that from the moment she spoke, the temperature in the car dropped significantly, and the atmosphere became cold and murderous.
It was then that Adele noticed that Hermione’s expression had become serious and gloomy, making her heart tremble.
“D-did I say something wrong?”
Adele’s voice trembled, her pitiful appearance endearing.
Hermione then realized that her reaction was a bit excessive.
She slowed down the car for safety, took a deep breath, and exhaled, her mood calming down a little.
“…No, you didn’t say anything wrong.”
“It’s just that you can’t join the student council.”
“Eh… why?”
Adele asked in confusion.
Hermione found it hard to speak.
But she couldn’t bear Adele’s pleading, expectant eyes.
Finally, she steeled herself and revealed the cruel reality to Adele.
People always had to grow up, and Hermione hoped that her Adele wouldn’t be so naive and easily deceived by bad women anymore.
“Because…”
“Only those who have stained their hands with vampire blood can join the student council.”
She still spoke vaguely, but it was enough to reveal the true condition for joining.
Only vampires who had killed their own kind, who had personally shed vampire blood…
Could be accepted by humans!
Adele’s comprehension wasn’t bad, so her mind instantly went blank!
Then her back was drenched in cold sweat, and she didn’t even notice…